Moms Rest Assured – New Research Says Baby Brain is Real!

Posted by Alissa RobsonDec 23 2011

Many pregnant women notice forgetfulness and lack of focus, a condition they lovingly called ‘Baby Brain’. But though research and scientific backing have been sketchy in the past, new research is lending support to the condition and offering reasons on why it might appear.

Dr. Laura Glynn, a psychologist at Chapman University in California, has been studying prior research on women’s brains and emotional well-being during pregnancy, and has turned up some interesting findings.

Most notable among the findings is that even a slight movement of the fetus in a mother’s womb can cause an impact to her brain and raise her heartbeat, whether she’s aware of the change or not. It’s also been found that fetal cells passing into the mother’s bloodstream can affect her brain’s activity.

Both of these findings could offer valid explanation for baby brain symptoms. Glynn says that while there is a “cost” to the brain’s functions, such as memory loss and distractedness, it may actually be beneficial in making mothers more attune to their baby both during pregnancy and after.

While these findings are positive, there is still much debate over whether ‘baby brain’ is a real thing. A study out of Australia that involved testing the memories of women before, during and after pregnancy, showed no significant difference in results. The study also said women may be likely to fool themselves into thinking they have memory loss, because it’s a noted symptom of pregnancy.

So the science community is still divided, but at SureBaby, we’ve known enough moms to be pretty confident that baby brain is real! What do you think readers? Have you had experience with the condition or do you know someone who has?